The Question Every Parent Dreads
by Colliequest
Summary: "Minato felt that honesty was important, so he had decided long ago that when the question inevitably came he would neither dodge it nor make up some ridiculous story about cabbage patches or storks." Don't worry, it's 100% kid-friendly. Fluff.


"Daddy, where do babies come from?"

There it was: the question every parent dreads. Minato felt that honesty was important, so he had decided long ago that when the question inevitably came he would neither dodge it nor make up some ridiculous story about cabbage patches or storks. Naruto was obviously too young to understand certain concepts, but Minato didn't see any harm in telling his son how pregnancy and birth basically worked. So long as the five year old didn't ask how the baby got in there in the first place (which apparently didn't occur to young children, at least to his knowledge) there was nothing to fear.

So when Minato found himself confronted by his son regarding the origin of infants, he put down his paperwork and turned in his chair, smiling and patting his leg to invite the boy into his lap. When he had scrambled up into it, Minato began searching for words to explain. "Well..." He paused. "Mothers are designed to carry babies in their tummies while they grow. Once they are done growing the baby has to come out, and that's what we call being born."

"You mean I was in Mommy's tummy?"

"Yes. Though..." Minato searched for an explanation that a five year old could grasp. "Not her tummy in the sense that where the food she eats goes."

"Huh?"

"Mommies have a special organ in their tummy that is designed to hold the baby, and it also provides the baby with food and keeps it alive and growing."

"How long are babies in there?"

"Nine months, give or take a little."

"That's a long time..."

"It is, but the baby feels happy and safe inside his mommy."

"Oh."

Minato ruffled his son's hair. "You know, I was there when you were born." That had been one of the, if not the, most awe-inspiring experiences in Minato's life. It had also been the most nerve-racking. Minato was normally a calm person, calmer than the average person and able to keep a clear head when most would be losing theirs'. But there had just been something unsettling seeing his normally strong wife in such a position causing her so much pain and not being able to do anything about it. The fact that he couldn't hold her hand through it, since he had had to keep both on the seal to hold back the nine tails, had bothered him as well. It was his impulse to protect this woman with his life, to shield her and help her all he could, and he had felt so very helpless to do anything for her.

"What was it like, Daddy? How do babies get out, anyway?"

"Um, I'll answer the second question when you're older, okay?" That one could lead into awkward territory; Minato didn't want to get into just where babies exited from.

"Aw, but I want to know now!"

"I can answer the first one."

Naruto looked at him expectantly.

"Well..." He tried searching for words...this was harder than he thought. "Childbirth is really hard on mommies, so I was pretty worried."

"Why is it hard on them?"

"Let's just say that there's no easy way to get a baby out."

"Oh...it hurts a lot?"

"Yeah."

"Poor mommy."

Minato chuckled. "Well, mommy loved you very much, so she was happy to have you. Very happy once you were finally out." As was Minato. He recalled the overwhelming pride and joy he had felt the moment his son emerged. "We were both very happy" he added. Too bad it hadn't lasted long, he thought bitterly. No sooner had Naruto taken his first few breathes than the masked man had shown up, threatening the newborn's life as well as that of the village and Kushina's life ending during the struggle before the day was over. But Naruto didn't need to know about all of that now. Minato planned to tell him one day, sometime after Naruto learned about the nine tails inside of him.

"Why do mommies have babies if they know it hurts?"

The question pulled Minato out of his thoughts. "They just love their children that much."

"But still..."

"If they didn't the whole human race would have gone extinct a long time ago."

"Ohhhhh. That makes sense."

Minato smiled at the display of innocence, pulling his son close and planting a kiss on his head.

"You know...your mother, she was so happy when she found out she was pregnant with you."

"Mommy must have loved me a lot, right?"

"Very much."

"As much as you?"

"Every bit." he assured. "Maybe even more."

"I love mommy, too." the child said brightly. "I wish I could tell her..."

Minato smiled sadly. "Perhaps she already knows." He imagined her watching them right in this moment, and wiped at his eyes quickly, suddenly realizing they had been collecting moisture.

"Don't cry, Daddy..."

* * *

I am teh fluff machine!

So can you tell **parental!**MinaNaru is like my broTP or somethin'?


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